Article October 6, 1986 Issue

Christian Science and spiritual healing today: a conversation with the Reverend Paul Higgins

Christians share a common commission from Christ Jesus—to heal the sick. A Methodist minister describes his approach to this vital work.

More often than not, it's the emotional and dramatic forms of Christian healing that are reported in newspapers. Yet such attention often overlooks much of what's taking place. Many Christians are experiencing healing through quiet prayer, discipleship, and allowing their lives to come more fully under God's will. While they may not agree with each other on every theological point, they are responding to Christ Jesus' command to heal the sick, and they are bearing witness to the power of spirituality in human experience.

Paul Lambourne Higgins is a Methodist minister who has been actively committed to spiritual healing for many years now. He is the author of ten books, many of which make reference to healing, including John Wesley: Spiritual Witness and Pilgrimages USA: A Guide To The Holy Places Of The United States For Today's Traveler. His approach to healing differs in some very significant ways from Christian Science. He, for instance, uses the laying on of hands and acknowledges various remedies and treatments in addition to prayer. But as the following interview shows, he has a deep respect for what Christian Science has done to reawaken interest in spiritual healing.

We might start just by asking you how you first became interested in Christian healing.

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